Sick Days
by SamiWami
Summary: Charley caught something on one of their adventures. Instead of letting her relax and deal with it the human way, the Doctor insists on buzzing around to heal her the more efficient way.


"Charley, are you feeling alright?"

She looked up, handkerchief still pressed to her mouth to stifle her coughs, trying to focus on him through her watering eyes. "Oh, I'm…" Another cough racked her frame and she curled in on herself, pressing the fabric into her mouth. "Fine," she finished weakly. From the clear, concerned look on his face, she pushed back into the couch.

His cool fingers against her flushed face made her sigh and lean into his touch. "Hmm, you may have caught a flu on that last planet. Usually the TARDIS guards against those sort of things, but with the way you two get on…" He shot the TARDIS column a wry smile before focusing back on her. "Perhaps I should vaccinate you before we go to certain places." His hand pressed more firmly to her forehead before he drew back.

"Really, Doctor, I'll be fine. I just need—"

"Some tea, yes, of course!" He beamed at her, then bounded out of the room.

She sighed, reaching for the blanket that sat on the other end of the couch. She'd meant to say that all she really needed was a lie-down and some rest, but of course he'd think that tea could solve all things. One day she'd have to hide his tea from him and see how he'd try to solve_ that_.

Her eyes drifted closed, snuggled into her little corner of the couch, and the hum of the TARDIS nearly lulled her to sleep. _Just one quick rest, Charlotte, and you'll be right as rain,_ she thought to herself, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

She was shaken rudely awake, and as she opened her eyes to glare at the Doctor, he had the decency to look a little apologetic. "You really should drink this when it's warm; the effects aren't nearly as strong when it's cooled."

"You know what else would have an effect? A nice, undisturbed sleep," she told him even as she took the mug between her hands.

"It's possible… But really, Charley, this tea will do you much better than simply sleeping, and besides, if you wanted to be undisturbed, you really shouldn't have decided to nap in the common room. Though, perhaps," he amended as she shot him another glare over the lip of her cup, "you were suddenly taken too ill to remove yourself to your rooms. It's been known to happen among your species, though it's never a good sign."

"Doctor?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes?"

"Do shut up." She took another sip of the tea to hide her smile at his surprised pout. The tea really was quite good, all warm and tingly and breaking up the hard uncomfortable bits lodged in her chest. Her eyes drifted closed as she inhaled the calming scent.

When the couch dipped down next to her, her eyes opened in surprise as the Doctor settled himself in the opposite corner. Rather than sit companionably next to her and crack open one of his many piled, half-read books, he sat sideways, one leg propped against the back of the couch and the other planted on the floor. Taking the hand closest to him, he drew her away from her corner of the couch, pulling her across the surface until she was sitting between his knees.

"Doctor?" she squeaked, then coughed into her balled-up handkerchief to cover the sound. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to make you comfortable, Charley. With a nasty illness like this, your temperature will fluctuate quite a bit. Rather than disturbing your much needed rest to remove and re-add the blanket to yourself, you can come sit," he patted right in front of himself, trying to get her to swivel and scoot back so that her back would be to his chest, "I can adjust my own temperature to keep yours a bit more regulated."

She blinked at his face, but decided that she was too weary and exhausted to argue with him anymore. Holding the mug against her chest protectively, she scooted back until his arms closed around her middle, holding her comfortably to him as he adjusted the blanket to cover her.

Downing the last of her tea with her nerves, she let him take it from her hand as she leaned more firmly against him, humming in quiet acceptance. Nestled between the Doctor's legs, surrounded and cared for him on all sides, she felt better already. She felt his lips brush lightly against her temple and smiled as she drifted off into another hazy sleep.


End file.
